


Lockdown

by Elmanita



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Peter Parker Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2020-12-28 18:58:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21141605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elmanita/pseuds/Elmanita
Summary: Peter’s used to facing trouble and danger while being Spider-Man. But when a shooting happens at school, somehow he must work out how to keep himself and his classmates safe, at least until backup arrives.





	1. Chapter 1

The day started out like any other normal day in the Parker home. 

Peter woke up to Aunt May banging on his door, making sure he was awake in time for school. He groaned and rolled out of bed, landing on the floor with a thump. He lay there for a second, running his hand through his hair. Aunt May returned and knocked a second time. “Yeah, yeah, I’m up,” Peter replied.

Detangling himself from the duvet, he pulled himself up off the floor, and dragged himself into their bathroom. Peter glanced in the mirror taking notice of the bruises he had gained from patrolling last night. They littered his torso but were starting to change colour and looked way better than they did last night. The scientist in Peter still marvelled over his superhealing ability while the teenager in him was just relieved he didn’t have to come with too many excuses to explain the bruises away. Sure, Aunt May knew about Spider-Man now but Peter would never give her the full details of his patrols, Aunt May had enough of her plate without having to worry about him. 

A hasty shower helped to wake Peter up. The water felt good, despite only being lukewarm water from their slightly dodgy boiler. It was temperamental as were most things were in their apartment. May had reported it to their landlord but he was always pretty useless and never fixed anything. Peter tried to help but boiler parts are expensive and May was adamant that it’s not their responsibility to fix it. And they weren’t going to fork out money to fix it while it still partially worked. 

Once he was ready, Peter picked up his backpack and quickly made himself a slice of burnt toast to go. Before dashing back to his bedroom, almost forgetting the homework on his desk. 

“Don’t forget, I’m on a late shift tonight. There’s some leftovers in the fridge for dinner”

“Yeah thanks, see you later May.”

“Have a good day.”

Peter dashed out the door, running five minutes late as always, but luckily with a shortcuts on the way, he should just about to get to school in time for MJ to greet him with a “Hey loser” as the bell rings.

***

The morning was a pretty average morning too. Ned poking Peter to stop him falling asleep in English and then a surprise quiz on in Biology. Luckily, Peter had done a lot of research into DNA when he was first bitten by the radioactive spider that changed his DNA. So Peter has no problems acing the quiz and scoring the highest in his class, much to Flash’s dismay. 

So lunch was filled with Flash’s teasing and taunting him with Peter doing his best to ignore him. “Come on Peter, he’s not worth the trouble,” Ned reminded him. Peter escaped to the school library with Ned to get away from the bully. They stayed in the library for the rest of lunch, not reading or doing any work but the boys did manage to plan their next movie marathon weekend, snacks and all.

Afternoon classes started with Spanish followed by Geography. They were halfway through Geography, listening to Mrs Harris talk about that one summer she spent travelling round India, the same story they had heard about fifty times now. And Peter was about to drift off asleep out of boredom. 

Then, Peter felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He sat up straight in his chair. His senses heightened and focused, and a feeling in his gut. He frowned, unsure why he was feeling like this. Maybe his senses were just playing up, Peter wondered. Maybe he was just feeling sick. 

“Excuse me Mrs Harris,” Peter interrupted the teacher “Can I please go to the bathroom?”  
Mrs Harris disliked interruptions to her stories but she always agreed. “Yes Peter, but be quick please.”  
She handed him a hall pass. Peter nodded and took the pass. He left the classroom and headed down the corridor to the boys bathroom. 

BANG, BANG, BANG.

Three gunshots sounded.

BANG, BANG.

Two more followed.


	2. Chapter 2

BANG, BANG, BANG.

Three gunshots sounded. Mrs Harris stopped talking mid story and the class froze. For a few seconds, no one moved or said anything. Then the silence was quickly broken by Betty, a short girl with curly brown hair and glasses, who always sat at the front of class. “Was that, were those gunshots?” Betty asked. 

“No way, when I went shooting with my Dad at the range, it sounded way different. It must just be a car backfiring.” Flash answered, and then looked out the window to see. “It’s probably one of the cars parked outside”. 

“Surely a car isn’t that loud”, Daniel replied, who was sitting next to Flash. He turned, leaning round Flash to look out the window too. They stared down at the nearby street, looking at the cars parked along it. “And it doesn’t look like any of those cars. I don’t see any people with them.”

BANG, BANG. 

Two gunshots followed. “That definitely was”, Betty argued. 

“Is so not,” Flash responded. 

“Yeah it is”, Ned added, agreeing with Betty and Daniel. 

“When did you become an expert,” Flash sneered at Ned. 

“O what, and you are,” Ned answered back. 

“Shut up dumbasses! And get away from the windows.” MJ said, having enough of their bickering and realising that if no one was going to take control, then she would. “Mrs Harris, do you think we should get out of here?” MJ suggested. 

BANG, BANG. 

Two more shots fired again. These ones were louder than before, and too loud to be coming from inside. The classmates looked at each other, fear and panic written on their faces. “What do we do now?” Flash asked, realising that the others were right, although he would never admit that out loud. 

Mrs Harris finally snapped herself out of trance, as a red light on the ceiling started to flash. The fire alarm system had been updated last year to include a new silent alarm. When the silent alarm was set off, a red light would flash several times, indicating there was an intruder in the school building and initiating the school's lockdown procedure. They had done a practise drill once before, and Mrs Harris hoped that this was just a new drill. Yet, they had all heard the bangs and knew that this was for real. 

“Quiet everyone. MJ turn off the lights, Daniel and Flash lock all the windows and close the blinds. Now please.” Mrs Harris commanded while opening the draw of her school desk and grabbing her keys. She hurried to the classroom door and locked it, her hands shaking a little as she turned the key. She took a deep breath, turning back to face the class, knowing that she needed to at least appear somewhat calm. 

Mrs Harris pointed at four more students. “Move these tables in front of the door. And lift them, don’t drag them.” They started following her instructions. “Yes that’s it. Now, put the second on top."

“But Mrs Harris, what about Peter” Ned asked. “If the door is barricaded, how is he supposed to get back here?” 

“The whole school is on lockdown Ned. Peter will be following the lockdown procedure where he is.” 

“But he’s on his own.” Ned argued. He needed Peter here, he needed Spiderman here. Ned had no clue what to do, his hands were slightly sweaty from stress, and he’d feel a whole lot better knowing that Spiderman is next to him. 

“He’s smart Ned, he’ll know how to stay out of trouble.”

Ned and MJ shared a look. Peter was good at many things, but staying out of trouble certainly wasn’t one of them.

“Everyone move away from the windows, get down near the back cupboards and for goodness sake, stay quiet.”

Never in her whole ten years of teaching had Mrs Harris had to deal with something like this. And never had her class been so quiet and quick to follow her instructions. She joined the class sitting the floor, and she prayed they would be okay. 

***

Peter walked along the across the hallway. The lights all seemed too bright and were making his head spin. He staggered into the boys’ bathroom and over to one of the sinks. Peter turned on the tap and splashed some cold water on his face. He’d had his powers for over a year now, but they were still developing, and Peter hadn’t got the hang of all his abilities. His fluctuating, heightened senses could be overwhelming at times. 

His whole body felt tense with every cell in his body alert. Peter could feel his heart pumping. It was as if he was having an adrenaline rush, multiplied by ten. Like his body was preparing him to fight or flight. 

Peter turned off the tap, but he clenched the tap too hard and it broke off. “Shit”, Peter swore, looking at the now broken tap in his hand. His head was still spinning though. He’d have to work out how to fix that tap later Peter thought to himself. He just needed to focus and get a grip of his senses. 

“Focus Peter”, he said out loud to himself. “Right, five things I can see… the bathroom lights, the mirror and the sinks, the pipes, and um, the tiles."

“Four things I can hear…” Peter closed his eyes as he concentrated “I can hear the girl, Nancy, chatting on her phone in the girl’s bathroom next door. I can hear doors slamming, heavy footsteps and…” Peter paused. He could hear arguing, he couldn’t make out exactly what was being said though. He heard a click and then...

BANG, BANG, BANG.

“A gun,” Peter said out loud, opening his eyes. He heard people crying and someone screaming. Someone running. He lost control of his focus and his head was spinning again as sounds and noises overwhelmed him. So many sounds playing loudly inside Peter’s head all at once. Peter clutched the sink to steady himself. 

BANG, BANG. 

Peter almost jumped at the loud bangs. He heard more crying and screaming. He could hear students and teachers arguing and panicking. Peter had tears in his own eyes as the sounds became too much. 

BANG, BANG. 

A red light caught Peter’s attention. He looked up at the flashing alarm, his eyes stinging from the bright light. He stared at it for a second and then looked back at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes slightly red shot, his face pale. He looked down at his hands clenching the sink and let go. Suddenly realising he had been clenching the sink so hard he’d made hand shaped dents in it. He should probably fix that later along with the broken tap, but now he really needed to focus. His school was in trouble, his friends were in danger, and they needed him, they needed Spider-man.


	3. Chapter 3

Since their civil war, it had taken a number of months but the avengers team were beginning to heal. Months of talking, negotiations and accord amendments. They were even attending group therapy and counselling together. They had all been reluctant about that to begin with. They only agreed to go once the government therapist had been replaced by a private therapist, who was a friend of Helen Cho. They went begrudgingly at first but by the end of the mandatory six sessions, the team all willingly agreed that it had been helpful and good to talk with each other about their feelings, worries and problems. Something they previously had never been very good at. The team even decided to extend the sessions. The civil war had been a painful memory for all of them, but the team was back together now, and stronger and closer than before. 

In addition, an amended version of the accords had been approved. With many, many amendments. They were continuously rereading it and revising it, going through every clause and every subsection. They were trying their best to find a way to avoid having a database of vigilante name and details. While also trying to create almost an ethical rulebook of how to be a superhero. The team still sometimes had differing opinions about some sections, but if there was one thing all the Avengers agreed upon, it was that Ross could not be trusted. So, the Avengers were working hard to build relations with other politicians and governors. Hoping to build trust and influence, but while also secretly on the hunt for a more suitable candidate to oversee the accords. 

They were currently in the city of Philadelphia, meeting with more state senators. Not the full team, but Tony, Steve, Natasha and Clint had spent the past week tied up in meetings. Seeking different perspectives and knowledge of vigilantes in different areas. They had met with senators of Pennsylvania and New Jersey that morning and now they were meeting with a senator for the state of New York.

Tony, Steve and Natasha were all sat round a large conference table, waiting for the next meeting to start, while Clint had voluntarily gone on a coffee run. The fuel that was getting them all through these meetings. Tony was still feeling a bit miffed, because they had all been made to hand in all their phones and communication devices into reception upon arrival. 

“Look, I just don’t see why in the 21st century, we have to all turn our phones off for these meetings. It’s the 21st century, the age of modern technology. Why should we all sit around in this meeting room like we’re in the dark ages. In fact, I still don’t see why we couldn’t have done all these meetings over video conference from the comfort of our own home. And at the very least, we should still have our phones on us.”

“It’s nicer to meet with people face to face, and we’re just being polite Tony. It means we can all listen to each other better,” Steve reasoned. 

“With video conferences, we could have met with all 50 states in one day.” Tony said. “And just because you’re becoming deaf Cap, doesn’t mean the rest of us having hearing problems.” 

“You know, if you hadn’t spent the whole of the last meeting on your phone, we wouldn’t be in this position.” Natasha pointed out, looking up from the doodle she was drawing on her notepad. 

“I was making notes. People make notes during meetings.”

“Tony, you were playing video games,” Steve commented while glancing down at his watch.

“I was multi-tasking.” 

Steve looked up from his watch, making eye contact with Tony and raising an eyebrow. 

“Hey, I’m good at multitasking.” 

“I didn’t say you weren’t.”

“You didn’t have to. I know that look.” 

Steve checked his watch again and frowned. “This meeting was supposed to start over fifteen minutes ago. Where’s the senator and shouldn’t Clint be back yet.” 

“Don’t get cranky Steve, Clint will be back with your pumpkin spiced latte soon,” Natasha teased Steve. 

“And Steve buddy, you wouldn’t be feeling bored if you still had your phone to play games on.” Tony added. 

“How could I be bored with you around.” 

“I’m flattered.”

“I’m not sure if that was a compliment Tony,” Natasha joked. 

“Of course it was a compliment. I’ll have you know I receive nothing but rainbows and compliments all day long.” 

“O really, delivered by magical unicorns?” Natasha said, as the door opened, and Clint walked in carrying a cardboard tray with coffees in. 

“Unicorns? Half the reason I came to these meetings was to escape the unicorn madness at home. Lila and Nate love them. And I wouldn’t mind, but they have this fucking unicorn toy, that won’t fucking stop singing all the damn fucking time.” 

“Language Clint, what if the senator just walked in.” Steve chided, and Tony rolled his eyes at Steve’s typical comment. 

“Trust me Steve, if you’d been listening to the same dancing unicorn toy sing all day long you’d be fucking swearing too.” 

“So it was a good birthday present then?” Natasha grinned at Clint. 

“Yes, thanks you Tasha. Lila loved it,” Clint replied. “Me on the other hand not so much.”

Natasha laughed but feeling pleased that her present had been gone down so well. “It was either that or the knife set. And you said she was still too young for the knife set.”

“Why don’t you just take the toy’s batteries out?” Tony suggested. 

“Yeah man, I did consider it. But I’ll endure anything to see my kids happy. Even if it means if I have to listen to that stupid singing unicorn toy over again.” 

In the past, Tony would have automatically made some remark about how soft Clint was, but since Tony had started spending more time with Peter in the lab, he was starting to understand Clint's sentiments. Still, Tony was still going to make some teasing remark to Clint, but just when he opened his mouth to respond, the New York state senator walked in. Almost thirty minutes late and clutching his mobile phone in his hand.


	4. Chapter 4

“Come on Peter, get a grip” Peter said to himself. He closed his eyes and took five slow deep breathes, trying to calm himself. “You can do this, Spiderman can do this.” 

Going out on patrol and fighting crime was one thing. When Peter was on patrol, he went looking for crime. Every night patrolling was different, filled with different dangers and challenges, but Peter always felt somewhat prepared and ready. He went out patrolling expecting danger. This was different situation. Here at school, he was just Peter, not Spiderman. He wasn’t a hero here, just an average teenager. He was supposed to just be worrying about getting to class on time, getting his homework done, and avoiding Flash and his cronies. He was supposed to be in geography with his classmates, listening to his teacher drag on with one of her travelling stories. 

“Think Peter, think”. But Peter had no idea how to start or what to do. How was he supposed to handle a gunman in his school. He needed his head to stop spinning. He needed his spider-man suit. For one thing, his mask would dull the brightness of the lights and help him think clearly. He’d know what to do then. 

However, Peter’s spiderman suit was in his backpack, and his backpack was in his classroom. How was he going to get it? He reached into his pocket for his phone, but that too wasn’t there. Peter realised that his phone must also be in his backpack. “Shit”, Peter swore. If he had his phone, he could message Ned and check if he and the rest of their class were ok. Heck if he had his phone, he could call Tony for help. Ironman can fix anything right, Peter thought. Tony always knew just what to do. Nothing ever fazed him. 

But no, Peter was on his own, and he had no clue what to do. Somehow he needed to figure out how to get his suit, and he would know what to do then once he’s got it on. Until then, there was no way he was going to stay in here. Spiderman suit or not, there was no way he was going to hide out in the bathroom. He wasn’t going to stand by. He couldn’t…not after Ben. He couldn’t let someone else die, not if he could help it. 

Peter steadied himself. He walked over to the door and took hold of the handle, but he paused and hesitated. “Deep breathes Peter. You can do this.” His body still felt tense and alert, but his mind felt slightly calmer as he controlled his breathing, and he felt more focused. Peter closed his eyes. He tried to distinguish noises and listen for noises coming for the corridor. His hearing focused in on one sound and Peter made up his mind. Peter opened his eyes and pulling the door open, stepping out into the school corridor. He double looked both ways before crossing the hallway. Peter pushed the door open and walked into the girls’ bathroom. 

***

“I’m so sorry everyone for the delay.”

“Hey! How come you get to have your phone? See Steve, even the senator thinks the no phones at the table rule is stupid.” Tony said, outraged that he had been separated from his phone while the senator still had his. 

“Tony!” Steve warned, not wanting Tony to make a scene in front of the senator. 

“Because Tony, the senator can be trusted not to play games on his phone during meetings." Natasha answered Tony, before greeting the new arrival in the room. “Good afternoon senator, I apologise on behalf of my idiot colleague.” 

“No, no. It’s okay. I understand Tony’s point and I know it’s unprofessional to have my phone on the table and to have kept you all waiting for so long.” The senator spoke as he sat down and joined them at the conference table. “Normally, I would put my phone away but there’s a slight situation in New York and I’ll need to leave my phone.”

“I’m sorry to hear that senator, and of course, we don’t mind at all, do we.” Steve said and pointedly looked at Tony.

“O no, not at all. By all means, keep your phone on,” Tony said, sounding polite to the senator, but the other three avengers could pick up the sarcastic tone. They would definitely be having another debate about the phone rule later. 

“What’s the situation in New York? Anything we can do to help?” Clint asked. He was tired of the meetings and a mission would be good to finally get them out of this conference room, Clint thought to himself. 

“No, no. It’s okay, we don’t need to delay our meeting any further.” The senator said, but then sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked stressed and tired. “Well it’s certainly not okay. There’s a school shooting. The police are on it though and I’m currently waiting for a callback from the FBI. They’ll do their best to handle the situation.”

There was silence in the room as the avengers listened to the senator and digested what he was saying. 

“That’s terrible,” Natasha said, being the first to break the silence. 

“Are you sure there isn't something we can be doing to help?” Clint asked again. 

“Which school?” Tony asked.

“I appreciate the offer but this isn’t an avenger level threat. The police and FBI should be able to handle it fine.”

“I asked, which school?” Tony asked again, dreading the answer. 

“Midtown highschool”


	5. Chapter 5

Tony’s faced paled, clenching his fists and thumping the table. Natasha, the observant spy, noticed the subtle change in Tony’s body posture. Midtown High did sound familiar to her but she couldn’t quite remember why. Looking at Tony though, Natasha started to put two and two together…The kid, it must be his school she concluded. Natasha placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Bringing Tony out of his thoughts, jolting his head up. 

“Parker?” Natasha quietly asked, just loud enough for Tony to hear. 

Tony nodded, still processing the information. “I have to go,” Tony said to her. 

“I have to go,” Tony said again but louder to the whole group. Tony stood up abruptly, tossing his chair back. Steve and Clint looked up at Tony, surprised by the intensity in his voice. 

“Tony –“ Steve began, about to ask if he was okay, but was interrupted by the politician in the room. 

“Sit down Tony. It’s a three hour drive away.” The senator reasoned, thinking Tony’s behaviour was just due to his eccentric character. “By the time you’d get there, it will probably all be over. I understand it’s a tragic event and I appreciate you wanting to help, but the police are on it.”

“Do NOT tell me to sit down, and I WON’T be fucking driving,” Tony retorted. 

“You expect us to just sit here while it’s happening?” Clint said, his voice calmer than Tony but still outraged at the thought of sitting by and doing nothing. Clint knew that something like this would be any parent’s worst nightmare. 

“Yes, yes I do. The police are doing their jobs and sending the avengers in would only bring unwanted media coverage.” Honestly, the senator thought to himself. They had this meeting booked in advance over two months ago. Much better for them to get on with it now, rather than trying to re-arrange with all their busy schedules. 

“Unwanted media coverage. A school shooting is going to make headline news regardless,” Natasha pointed it out. 

“It’s a school shooting. Yes, it’s a terrible tragedy, but there are no aliens in the sky. This isn’t a national or international crisis. Surely this isn’t avenger business.” He was getting a bit frustrated now, not understanding why the group of avengers were putting up such a fuss. 

“Senator I disagree.” Steve, who had been remarkably quiet, finally spoke. “Yes, the police and FBI might already be involved, but what harm would it do to for us all to put up a united front, together. You said that would bring media attention. Good, let them cover it. We’ll show them the avengers making a stand against violence in our schools, making someone think twice before taking another gun into a school and harming kids. Young people who have hopes and dreams, and their whole lives ahead of them. They are our future and we will protect them. Let us show America, show the world, that our schools are not targets. Create a future where children feel safe to going to school. Sir, we can rearrange this meeting another time, but right now, there are lives on the line.”

Thank fuck for Steve and his perfect speeches, thought Tony. 

The senator locked in a staring contest with Steve, a silent battle of wills between the senior politician and the captain. It felt like eternity but in reality was only about 30 seconds. The senator broke eye contact first and glanced round the room at the other three avengers. All whom were looking at him expectantly. 

“Fine, go.” The senator nodded, finally realising that arguing further was pointless. Tony didn’t need telling twice, he stormed out of the conference room door first. The other avengers hot on his heels, leaving the senator behind them. 

“Tony, wait up,” Clint called, but Tony ignored him, dashing down the stairs to the reception.

“My phone.” Tony requested, snapping his fingers, almost scaring the startled receptionist. “Phone now.” She passed him the locked safety box, and Tony used his fingerprint to unlock it. Tony grabbed his phone, pleased to be reunited with it. Turning it back on, he scrolled through his notifications, and immediately noticed the one missed call from Happy and the three missed calls from May Parker. 

**

Peter pushed open the girls’ bathroom door, slipping inside. The tiles, sinks and mirrors were similar from the boys’ bathroom opposite, but they were definitely a little cleaner. He noticed a phone that lay smashed on the tiled floor. The bathroom itself looked empty, but Peter could still hear the muffled crying coming from one of the stalls. He heard a sharp intake of breath, as the other student heard him walk in. 

“Hey, it’s just me, Peter.”

“Peter?”, a voice called out from one of the stalls. 

“Yeah it’s just plain old Peter Parker.”

The bathroom stall unlocked, and Nancy came out of her hiding spot. Nancy was a girl from the year below. Peter hadn’t had many conversations with her before, but her older brother, Daniel, was in Peter’s class. Not that Peter had many conversations with him either, with Daniel being one of Flash’s mates. 

“Peter,” She hugged him, sobbing. “Did you… did you hear…the guns?”

“Yeah, I heard them too.” Peter said solemnly while Nancy clung to him. 

“I was so scared. I heard them go off and the lights started flashing. I was by myself and I panicked, I didn’t know what to do. So I just hid in here.” Nancy admitted through the tears and Peter could feel her shaking. 

“Hey, hey. You’re not alone.” Peter reassured her, but Nancy hugged Peter tighter, still crying. “Look, I know I’m no Captain America or Ironman, but I’ll stay with you okay? I’ll keep you safe,” Peter promised. 

Through watery eyes, Nancy smiled at Peter’s avenger comment. She detached herself from Peter and rubbing her eyes. Nancy was still terrified but at least she wasn’t alone now, and she felt a little calmer for it.

“Okay?” Peter asked.

“Yeah, but can we get out of here? I really don’t wanna die in a bathroom. I won’t be no Moaning Myrtle.” 

“Hey, no dying today okay,” Peter replied. He paused for a second, thinking. “The classrooms are a no go, they’ll be on lock down…but hey, maybe we could get to the library, that’s not too far from here.”

“Library’s better than staying in here,” Nancy said. “Can we go?”

“If you’re ready to.”

Nancy nodded and the two walked over to the door. “Let me go out first okay? Then, follow my lead.” Peter told Nancy, before walking out into the hallway. 

Peter checked that the coast was clear and motioned for Nancy to follow him. They walked down to the end of the hallway together, making a turn left onto the next corridor towards the library. Peter felt more focused now. He wasn’t sure how he was going to save his school, but at least he had a mission for now. 

They were just over halfway to the library when Peter suddenly paused, causing Nancy to bump into him. Nancy opened her mouth to complain but Peter put a finger over his mouth, indicating for her to keep quiet. 

“Someone’s coming,” Peter whispered, he could hear heavy footsteps coming from the opposite direction.


	6. Chapter 6

The geography class were still huddled together on the classroom floor. Ned’s feet had gone numb from sitting on them for two long and he kept fidgeting to get into a more comfortable position. 

“Would you quit moving so much?” MJ asked, after Ned accidentally elbowed her one too many times. 

“Sorry, sorry” Ned responded. He paused, and finally settled into a more comfortable position. “I hope Peter’s okay.”

“Yeah me too.” MJ admitted, sitting crossed legged next to him. She had taken her sketchbook out of her bag and started drawing. Partially to help pass the time, partially to relax and calm herself. 

Flash was sat leaning against the wall, phone in hand, typing away. 

“What are you doing?” Daniel asked, leaning over to see what his friend was up to. “Are you seriously on twitter right now?”

“What? We’ve been sitting here for over an hour, I’m bored.” Flash complained. 

“You’re posting on twitter? Do you have any idea how stupid that is,” Betty argued. 

“Watch who you’re calling stupid Freckleface.” Flash insulted. 

“No, she has a point. What if the gunman reads it and finds out we’re here,” Ned said.

“I doubt whoever it is, is on twitter right now. They’re too busy shooting our school up.” 

“Actually we haven’t heard any gunshots for a while now, who knows what the shooter is doing.” MJ stated.

“Maybe they’ve finished and left.” Daniel said. 

“Does that mean we can go find Peter now?” Ned asked. 

“No, you know the procedure. Lockdown doesn’t end until the red light flashes again. Now everyone, please stop arguing… Staying quiet is also an important part of the lockdown procedure.” Mrs Harris finally stepped in and silenced the class.

**

“Someone’s coming,” Peter whispered, he could hear heavy footsteps coming from the opposite direction. 

Nancy looked at Peter, panic in her eyes. “What do we do?”

Peter looked at Nancy and then glanced round the hallway, thinking. “I’ve got an idea, keep watch for a second.” Peter moved to the wall of lockers, with his back turned to Nancy, he grabbed the lock on one of the lockers and squeeze it as hard as he could. The lock immediately broke off and Peter opened the locker. “Quick, Nancy, in here.”

“Did you just pick the lock?” Nancy asked. 

“No, this isn’t a movie. The locker was already broken.” Peter lied.

Not completely buying it, Nancy walked over and looked sceptical as she investigated the space. "I'm not getting in there."

Peter could hear the footsteps approaching. “Hurry, we don’t have time to argue. I swear you'll only be in there for a few moments at the max.” 

Nancy would have argued further but now she too, could hear someone coming. She took Peter’s hand, and he helped her inside the locker. “What about you?” Nancy asked.

“Don’t worry about me.” Peter said and then quickly but gently closed the locker door. The footsteps were louder and getting closer. Peter knew he wouldn’t have time to break off another lock and try to squeeze himself inside a locker. He also wasn’t as small as Nancy. Peter looked around the hallway for another place to hide but couldn’t see anywhere, and staying standing in the middle of the corridor was definitely not an option. 

The clock was ticking. Peter looked up and not seeing any other option. Peter scaled the wall and clung to the ceiling. Just in time too, as then a man walked round the corner. The man was 6 foot tall, and his heavy black army-style boots echoed down the hallway as he walked. Carrying a gun in his right hand, and a radio in his left. The man paused in the middle of the corridor. Peter held his breath, praying and hoping that the man wouldn’t notice him. The man pressed a button on the radio, holding it up to his mouth. 

“The south-east hallway is clear, over.” 

“Copy that. North-west side if also clear, over” came a responder on a radio. 

“The main entrance is secured, over” came a second responder.

“So is the side and back entrances, over” a third responder replied, who had a deeper and richer tone to his voice.

“We need to start rounding up hostages,” the first responder stated.

“Does that mean we get to start kicking down doors?” The man beneath Peter asked, sounding way too happy about that for Peter's liking. 

“Not yet, check the bathrooms and closets first.”

“Understood. Over and out.” 

The man secured his radio back to his belt and then continued down the hallway. Peter waited until the hallway was clear again, before he flipped and dropped down to the ground. His heart was pounding in his chest as he processed all the new information…There wasn’t one gunman in the school…There were at least four. However, as he opened the locker door and helped Nancy out though, an idea came to him. 

**

“We're coming to you live from outside Midtown High. Several gunshots were heard well over an hour ago now. The school is reportedly still on lockdown, and we’ve not seen anyone go in or out of the school since the incident started. We have heard from a few of the students inside the school themselves, as a few of them have taken to posting on social media. We'll be reading more of their tweets out later. The police have also set up a station outside the front of the school, and we’ll be expecting a statement for the chief officer soon. Stay tuned for more updates.”

The reporter wrapped up the news segment. “Great work on the camera Jimmy. Take a ten minute break,” the reporter said. She picked up her notepad and walked away from their camera set up. The reporter stormed her way over to the mobile police station, “Have we got any updates, I can only report we’re waiting for updates so many times?”

“Who let the bloody media through,” the chief officer grumbled. “Look lady, we’ll give you updates when we give you updates.”

“Don’t you think New York needs answers, the World need answers.” The reporter pushed. 

“I understand your just trying to do your job, but can you please stay back and give us police space to work. We’re still trying to set up communications with the gunman. So if you could stay out of my face for a while, we might be able to make progress with that”

“You haven’t heard from the gunman yet?” The reporter questioned, scribbing notes in her notepad.

“That’s what you took from that?” The chief officer complained and turned to some of his junior police officers. “Can someone please escort this reporter back to the media station?” 

"Just one or two more questions first." The reporter pushed, but the chief officer shook his head. One of the junior officers signalled for the reporter to leave with him. She frowned and sighed but went willingly. She'd work her way back round here again soon. 

“Sir, you’ve got a call,” another one of the officers informed the police chief.

“If it’s that senator again, tell him I’m busy working.” The police chief was tired of all these interruptions. He sipped his coffee, as he looked over the map they had of the school. 

“It’s er not the senator…”

“Well unless it’s the gunman, I’m not speaking to anyone else, ” the chief responded, taking another slurp of his coffee. 

“But Sir, I think you’ll want to take this call,” the officer persisted. 

“Why? Who’s the call from?” 

“Well Sir…its um…it’s Captain America Sir…and he’s rather insistent to talk to you.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and comments. I just wanted to leave a TW, that there are mentions of blood in this chapter.

“Is he gone?” Nancy asked, as Peter helped her out of the locker. 

“Yeah, for now,” Peter replied, and they resumed walking. 

Peter's mind was racing with thoughts. The locker had given Peter an idea. His current spiderman suit was in the backpack. The backpack which he’d left in the classroom. But there was an older version of the spiderman suit stored in his locker. It wasn’t a fully working suit. Karen had malfunctioned and no longer worked. The left webshooter was constantly jammed. Tony had given him a newer suit that was fully functioning to replace the damaged suit, but Peter still had the old suit. He’d been hoping to fix it by himself and surprise Tony with it once he got the suit up and running again. For now though, Peter would take the suit even in its damaged form, it would be better than nothing. 

The only snag in Peter’s plan was getting to his locker. His locker was in the north-west hallway, and he couldn’t just leave Nancy to fend for herself. But if he was going to have any hope in taking down these men, he’d need the spider-man suit. 

Fortunately, Peter and Nancy managed to reach the library without any more hiccups. They slipped inside the library, slamming the door behind them. “We made it.” Nancy said in relief and she wondered further into the library. Peter remained leaning against the library door, still thinking about how to get to his locker. Unfortunately, Peter only had a brief moment to think, before his thoughts were interrupted by Nancy suddenly screaming.

Expecting the worst, Peter dashed over to Nancy, pulling her behind him. But then Peter froze as he realised why Nancy had screamed. There was no gunman in the room, but there was another student in the library. On the floor, slouched against a bookcase with a small pool of blood around them. Peter didn’t recognise the student, but Nancy clearly did as she started sobbing again. Peter knelt next to the student, while Nancy stood behind and watched.

“Is he, is Charlie…”

The student was pale and unconscious but Peter could see that he was still breathing. 

“No, he’s alive.”

The boy, Charlie, as Nancy had called him, had been shot in thigh. Peter could see it was still bleeding. Peter examined Charlie’s leg. There was no exit wound, so Peter presumed the bullet must still be in his leg. There wasn’t anything he could do about that. He knew first aid and was pretty good at biology, but Peter didn't anything about surgery. He knew he needed to stop the bleeding. Peter took off his jacket and wrapped it round his leg, applying pressure to the wound. The student gasped in pain, his eyes blinked and he started to come back round. Peter took off his belt and used to fasten the jacket in place. Charlie whimpered, eyes open now, starring up at Peter.

“Hey Charlie, can you hear me?” Peter asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

Charlie nodded but didn’t say anything. 

“Do you remember what happened?” 

Charlie paused and frowned for a second. “Men…gun..” He said, his breathing a little laboured. “Is it… bad…my leg?”

“Once we get you to a doctor, it should all be okay,” Peter said, although he could already see a spot of blood starting to soak through the jacket. Charlie did need proper medical attention and fast. “We need to try and get you out of here.” 

“But we just got here.” Nancy leaned over and whispered to Peter. 

“We can’t stay here, he needs a doctor.” Peter whispered back. 

“And what about the gunmen?” Nancy asked, a serious expression written across her face. 

“We made it here okay didn’t we?” Peter reasoned, but he knew she was scared. Heck, Peter was scared too. “Look, I can take him on my own. You could stay here. Lock the door and move one of the tables across it.” 

“And stay here on my own? No thank you. If your going back out there, I’m coming with you. Besides, you won’t be able to carry him on your own.”

“I’m stronger than I look,” Peter replied, and that was an understatement. 

“Still. I’m coming with you,” Nancy persisted, leaving no room for debate.

“Fine.” 

Peter turned his attention back to the injured boy in front of him. ”We’re going to get you out of here okay? Get you some help.” Charlie nodded and Peter moved into a position, so he could lift Charlie. Peter wasn’t worried about the weight, but he would have to pretend to struggle and his acting skills weren’t the best. 

Charlie battered Peter’s hands away. “No, no. I can walk,” he insisted. He might be in a lot of pain, but he was still a teenager who felt embarrassed at the idea of being carried. 

“Not on that leg,” Nancy said to him. 

“Just…help me up.” Peter and Nancy put an arm each around Charlie’s back, while Charlie put his arm over their shoulders. Together they lifted him up and Charlie groaned in pain. He balanced on his good leg with Peter supporting most of his weight, and Nancy doing the best she could to help. “I’m good, I’m good…Let’s go.” 

**

Shooter One sat in the principal’s office. It had been a long time since he’d been in a school, he thought to himself. Children were always so loud and whined too much. Always wanting everything handed to them on a silver plate, especially these kids. They have no idea what hard work looks like, he thought to himself. Kids were so soft these days. Not enough order and punishments. They ought to at least have a cane. How do they instil character without any beatings, he wondered. 

Principal Mortia lay unconscious on the floor behind him. The receptionist too lay unconscious but just outside of the principal’s office. Shooter One smiled, everything in their plan had gone smoothly so far. He put his gun down on the desk and leaned back in the computer chair. 

“S2 and S3, what’s your progress?” He called through his radio. 

“Hallways, closets and bathrooms are now all accounted for, over,” a reply came through.

“Good work. And S4?” 

“I’m in position, outside the auditorium. One class in there, just as you said. Ready to rock and roll.”

“Go give them a scare, just don’t kill any of them just yet.”

“Roger that.”


	8. Chapter 8

Shooter 4 kicked down the auditorium door. He barged into the large room like an angry bull that has seen red. He fired his gun several times up into the ceiling. The kids inside shrieked and screamed as fear and panic filled the room. 

“Shut the fuck up! Get down on the floor! Now!” He commanded with an army style shout. 

The man fired his gun into the air several more times and the loud gunshot bangs echoing round the auditorium. The screaming became hushed as the students complyed with the demands. They laid down on the floor, with many huddling down close together. 

One student stayed standing. He’d like everyone to think this was a moment of teenage heroics and defiance, but in reality he was just frozen with fear. The man walked straight up to him and grabbed the student by the scruff of his neck. Lifting him up so that his feet barely touched the ground and the man held his gun up next to the student’s head. “Did I say you could stay standing?” The man shouted into the student's face. 

The student’s eyes were wide open in fear, and he could feel the barrel of the gun pressed against his forehead. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth like it was paralysed. Instead of verbally speaking, the student simply shook his head in response. The gunman dropped the student to the ground and the student landed on the floor with a thump. The man gave him one strong kick to the stomach for good measure and then made his way to the centre of the room.

“The next person to make a sound can eat a bullet,” the man said in a loud and clear voice. 

**

Tony was pacing up and down the quinjet, He’d sent a message to May, saying that he had received her frantic voicemails. She had learnt about the school shooting via the news and was besides herself. Tony reassured her that he was on his way to the school. Tony also sent a second, similar message to Happy, who had also seen the news. Lastly, Tony hesitated but sent a third message to Peter. He rewrote the message several times and his finger hovered over the send button. He wanted to write a long-winded message about how Peter had changed him and how much the kid meant to him. But Tony was never very good at expressing his emotions and so eventually Tony just wrote a short and simple message. 

_ Hey kid, hope your ok. I’m on my way. Don’t do anything stupid. T x _

Tony waited and then checked his phone for a response, but there was no reply. Tony wouldn’t even care if it was another stupid emoji or gif that Peter loved to annoy him with. Just something to let him know that his kid was okay. 

“Can’t we go any faster?”

“I’m pushing her to the max Tony, we’ll be there soon.” Clint said from the pilot’s seat, while Natasha was sat next to him in the co-pilot’s seat. She was on a Starktablet, looking up maps and blueprints of the school. Steve was sitting in the main part of the quinjet, making some calls. He had already spoken to Bruce, who was currently the only other avenger at the New York Compound. Steve had also been making calls to the New York Police Department but Steve kept getting distracted by Tony pacing up and down. His teammate wasn’t usually as stressed as this when they went on missions together. Steve put down his phone and watched Tony for a minute, debating whether he should say anything. 

“Tony, you need to breathe. We’ll be there soon enough.” Steve said but Tony ignored him and continued pacing. Steve had seen Tony upset and stressed before but not quite like this. “Tony, why has this got you so shook?” The soldier quietly asked. 

Tony paused mid-step, spinning round to face his teammate. He ran a hand through his hair and sunk down into the seat next to Steve. “You don’t get it Steve. It’s his school, it’s his bloody school.”

“Whose school?” Steve asked, frowning in confusion. 

“Peter’s…And I’ve not heard anything from him.” Tony said, looking down at his phone wishfully. 

“Queens?” Steve’s nickname for Tony’s intern. He’d met the kid a few times now, usually after Peter had been working with Tony in his lab. The kid had been shy the first time they met in the compound, but Steve had also now seen Peter talking at a thousand words per minute. Hell could that kid talk. Even when Peter wasn’t at the compound, Tony talked about Peter so frequently that Steve felt like he knew the kid too. Although he never admitted it out loud, Steve knew how much the kid meant to Tony. He understood now why Tony was so stressed.

Tony sighed. He looked up away from his phone and made eye contact with Steve. “Yeah. Look, I just hate not knowing if he’s okay.”

“He’s a good kid. He’s a fighter.” Steve reassured Tony. 

“I know.” Tony paused. “That’s what I’m worried about.” 

They sat side by side for a few moments. Neither of them saying anything but still silently supporting each other, like two friends sitting together in a hospital waiting room. They stayed like this for a while until finally their comfortable silence was broken by Clint interrupting them. 

“So, what’s the plan when we get there?”, Clint called from his pilot seat. 

“We fucking storm the place, take out the gunman and find my kid.” Tony grumbled. 

But Steve shook his head. “No, we can’t just go blindly storming in.”

“Why the fuck not?” Tony asked. 

“We can’t. Not if the kids are being kept hostage. We need to minimise any further bloodshed.”

Tony sighed, seeing sense in Steve's logic. “O then wise Captain, what do you propose?” he asked. 

“The police have found us a building with a flat roof nearby where we can land. There are reporters already there, so we’ll want to avoid them if we can. Keep the element of surprise for as long as we can. The police are still trying to set up communications with the gunman. Natasha, they might need help with that and then we can start negotiating the release of the kids. Clint, I need you to find every way in and out of the school. Tony, when we get closer, I need you to scan the building. Work out where in the building the kids are and help identify where in the building the gunman is."

“Got it Cap,” Clint answered, acknowledging the plan. 

“If we hack into the school database, we could access the school register and timetables. That would help with locating the different classes,” Natasha suggested. 

“Already on it.” Tony said, unlocking his phone. Tony had previous experience hacking the database of Midtown High when he was first investigating Spider-man. Seemed like forever ago now, Tony thought to himself. The school’s computer system hasn’t updated much since and it only took Tony two minutes and forty seven seconds to get remote access to it. At somepoint, he should probably help the school update their computer security system. 

“I’m in…” Tony smiled, showing Steve his phone. And of course, the first thing Tony did was to look up Peter’s timetable. “He’s in geography. Room LF7”.

“Good. Now what about the other classes?” Steve asked. 

“Yeah. Give me two secs.” Tony grabbed his Starktablet. “Nat, can you send me that map of the school?”

“Sure thing, coming right up,” she replied. Within a few clicks, Tony had the map on his tablet. And with a few more clicks, Tony made a 3D hologram map of the school. Tony brought back up the school database and started marking on the hologram map where the different classes were. He was in his zen mode now, fuelling his stress and anxiety into productive work. 

“Good job,” Steve praised, as he watched Tony work and analysed the layout of the school. 

“We’re just flying past Princetown. Over halfway there now,” Clint updated them. 

“I should have this completed before we get there,” Tony answered. 

Natasha synced her tablet back with Tony’s, allowing her to bring up a second hologram that mirrored Tony’s. She watched as changes appeared on her hologram to match the changes Tony made to his hologram. Her mind memorising every detail of the map. She knew from experience that it paid to be prepared and even the smallest piece of intel can be useful. Anything they could use to stop this son of a bitch.


	9. Chapter 9

The hallways were eerily empty and quiet. A complete contrast to lunchtime, a mere two hours ago, when the hallways were filled with noisy students. It was unnerving how quiet and different it was as Peter, Nancy and Charlie made slow progress through the school. The trio could only move so fast with Charlie being supported by Peter and Nancy. Peter carried most of Charlie’s weight. Charlie was gritting his teeth and putting on a brave face, but Peter could tell he was in pain. His face was pale with sweat showing on his forehead. They needed to get him help fast, Peter thought. 

Peter was on high alert. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and adrenaline coursing through his body. His senses were dialled up to eleven, his whole body felt tense and the bright lights above burned his eyes. With his enhanced hearing, he could hear the fast heartbeats from Nancy and Charlie. Peter could tell they were scared. Heck, Peter was scared too but he remained focused. There was too much counting on Peter for him to fail. 

Peter knew they probably couldn’t go out of the main entrances. The main entrances were more likely to be guarded and they would be more likely to run into one of the gunmen, Peter presumed. So even though it was further away from their current position, Peter decided to aim for one of the smaller exits through a fire escape door. 

They made it all the way there. Charlie's breath was heavy and uneven by this point. The fire escape door was in sight. 

“Just a few more metres, Charlie.” Peter encouraged. “We’re almost there.” 

They crossed the hallway and made it to the door. Nancy let go of Charlie, leaving Peter to support Charlie by himself. She reached forward, grabbing the door handled and pulled…The door remained shut… She pulled again ...but it still remained shut. 

“It’s locked,” she realised in horror, looking over at Peter. “No, no, no, no,” She mumbled, trying again. 

Peter heard footsteps in the distance.

“Nancy come on, we’ve got to go. We’ll find another way out,” Peter said to her.

"Nancy, it's okay," Charlie added between labored breathes. 

“No, no, no” Nancy continued, her voice a little louder as she panicked, tugging at the door. It wasn’t budging. “Maybe, maybe, we could pick the lock or something. It has to open. We have to get it open.”

“Come on, we can’t stay here, we have to go.” Peter pleaded. He would have just grabbed her to drag her away from the door but he couldn’t do that while also supporting Charlie. 

She turned around to argue with him. They made it the entire way across the school. She wouldn’t let them just give up now because the door was locked. However, instantly Nancy forgot any argument that she was about to make, because standing at the opposite end of the hallway was one of the gunmen. 

Nancy froze, her eyes wide open. Peter noticed the change in her facial expressions. He twisted his head round in the direction Nancy was looking. 

“Well, well. What do we have here? Three little musketeers?” The man said while approaching them. 

Nancy and Charlie remained silent. A normal reaction when faced with a man wielding a gun infront of you. Peter, apparently didn't get the same memo. Even in stressful situations such as facing a gun wielding maniac, Peter could still talk at a mile a minute. 

"Hey man, nice to meet you, any chance you could unlock the door for us and help us out of here?" Peter said. 

The gunman didn't say anything at first, but he held up his gun, pointing it straight at Peter. 

"What do you think kid?" 

**

The police chief of New York had learnt many things over the years. Work with a partner you can trust and who will have your back. Drinking ten cups of coffee during one shift is never a good idea, and most importantly, always expect the unexpected. An unwritten rule of the job. Yet despite this mantra, nothing quite prepared the chief for suddenly speaking on the phone with a living legend and hero. He’d hid his surprise at speaking to the one and only Captain America on the phone. The chief was even more surprised when Captain America told him that the Avengers were coming to help.

The chief had seen the Avengers in combat before, having borne witness to the famous battle of New York and subsequent minor incidents involving aliens or powered individuals over the years. The chief had learnt when the weird and not so wonderful incidents happen to expect the avengers. The chief was fine with this arrangement because despite being in the police for over ten years, he still wasn’t sure what to do when faced with a raging alien stampeding through the city. 

However, when it came to the more mundane, human crimes in the city, the chief had rarely seen the avengers involve themselves. The smaller crimes in the city were mostly left to his police department, or more recently the involvement of a red and blue swinging vigilante, but he rarely saw the avengers involving themselves in these matters. So yes, the chief of police was surprised when Captain America said the avengers were coming to help. 

Nonetheless, the chief wasn’t going to sit around and complain. He knew what the avengers were capable of. If having the avengers here means they can end this attack on the school without anyone getting hurt, the chief was all for it. 

Immediately after the chief had ended his phone call with the Captain, the chief had recalled his officers over and redevised their orders. He set about identifying a building with a suitable rooftop for the Avengers to land on and arranged for a team to clear area. Meanwhile he ordered the rest of his officers to widen and secure the perimeter all the way round the school. The chief watched as his officers dispersed, following their new orders. His phone started buzzing in his pocket. An unknown contact displayed on the screen. Assuming it was Captain America again, the chief took his phone out his pocket and answered it. 

“Captain, I have finished – “ The chief started about to give an update.

“Sorry officer, there’s no Captain here.” A voice interrupted. 

The chief paused. This was not Captain America’s voice. 

“Who is this? Who’s speaking?” The chief demanded, wondering whether he might be speaking to a different avenger. 

“Officer, you know who I am,” the voice answered. 

The chief paused again and frowned, suspicions filling his brain. He clicked his fingers and silently signalled for his deputy officer to come over and listen in. The chief put the phone on loud speaker, while his deputy officer connected the phone to a laptop and started recording the phone call.

“Tell me,” The chief ordered, gritting his teeth. 

“My name is of unimportance.”

“Then what is important?” The chief asked. 

“I think we can both agree that you would like the students to go free without any harm done.” 

“Yes, that’s what we all want here.” 

“Well Jim. I can call you Jim right?” 

The chief frowned, wondering how this man knew his first name. He was sometimes mentioned in reports by last name but his first name wasn't common public knowledge. He liked to keep his work and private life separate. “How about you let these students go, and then we can talk on a first name basis.” 

“I would really love to Jim, I really would, but I’m afraid I just can’t do that.”

“Why not?” The chief asked, while watching the laptop screen recording the call. 

“I can’t just let them go for free. No, I simply couldn’t do that.”

“Sure you can. You can -” 

“No Jim." The man interrupted. "If you want the students to be released, you need to listen carefully.” 

The chief paused. “Alright, I’m listening, what do you want.”

“I’m so glad you asked. I want twenty thousand dollars per student.” 

“You want money?” The chief questioned. “That’s… that’s at least twenty million.”

“Well done Jim, you can do maths.” 

“I want all the money in cash delivered to the school within the next three hours. No one comes in or out of the school til then. And you don’t need me to tell you what will happen if you fail. You have three hours, clock is ticking.” 

The chief was about to reply but before he could the phone cut off. He tried to call the line back but the phone would not connect. 

“Shit,” the chief swore.


	10. Chapter 10

Despite the gun barrel in his face, Peter glared at the gunman as he positioned himself in front of Charlie and Nancy. Charlie leant against the wall while Nancy helped him stay upright. Peter stood firm like a shield between the two teenagers and the gunman. He puffed out his chest, standing up straight with a façade of confidence. 

“Sir, I’m gonna need you to unlock that door.” 

“No one is going in or out of this building,” the man responded. 

“Look man, I don’t know how you got into this mess or what led you here, but my friend here is hurt. He needs to see a doctor.”

“No one is going in or out of this building for at least another two hours, including your friend.” 

“Please, he’s losing a lot of blood. He needs to see a doctor now. Just let him go, just him,” Peter pleaded. 

“Are you deaf or are you just plain stupid? No one is going in or out of this building. Not unless all your Mummies and Daddies pay up in time.” 

“You’re doing all this for money?” Peter asked outraged. “There are better ways of earning money than holding a school hostage. Money troubles can be tough, trust me I know, but there are always other options. You don’t have to being doing all of this.”

“Has anyone ever told you, you talk way too much kid.” This kid was really starting to get on the man’s nerves now. This was why he hated kids, they always talked too much, or was that just people in general. He was never much of a people person either. 

“If you let the three of us go, you won’t have to listen anymore,” Peter retorted.

“There are easier ways to shut you up.” The man said, bringing the gun closer to Peter’s face. The man knew he needed to get his anger in check. He had a job to do and orders to follow. He knew he shouldn’t let some annoying teenager distract him. 

“If you want money, I am Tony Stark’s personal intern. Let everyone else go and you can just keep me here hostage.”

“You trying to be funny kid?” This kid was unbelievable. Any other kid that had a gun held to their face would be scared shitless to the point of silence, or perhaps some whimpering pleas. He was not prepared for a teenage who would talk back so much. 

“Let everyone else go and then we can give Mr Stark a call.” 

“Seriously kid, do you never shut up?” The gunman answered. “No way Stark would hire a such scrawny teen.” 

“I swear man, I’m telling the truth. Just let my friends go and then -.” The man flipped the gun with ease. He struck Peter across the head with the butt of the gun. 

“I’m done with your bullshit”, he said as Peter staggered backwards, mostly in shock. Peter was vaguely aware of Nancy’s screaming his name. 

Before Peter had time to process or recover, the man had grabbed hold of Peter’s shoulder with one hand and kicked Peter’s knee from under him. The man tossed Peter to the ground with force and precision. This man knew how to fight. Peter rolled over on the floor. He might not be Spiderman right now, but he wasn’t going to just lie down and let this man win. However, before Peter could get up, the man kicked Peter hard in the stomach. The teen may be an enhanced but it still knocked the air out of him. 

Peter was still on the floor catching his breath, as a second gunman appeared from around the hallway corner. Shooter Two, having heard the commotion over their radio system, came to join his teammate. 

“What’s all the fuss here?” Shooter Two asked his partner. 

“We’ve got three escapees” Shooter One replied. “And this one in particular is a lying piece of shit.” He says, giving Peter another firm kick, and Peter groaned. 

“Well by all means, give him a lesson or two. After all, we are in a school,” Shooter Two said, a sly grin on his face. 

“Too right.” Shooter One continued to beat and kick Peter. Peter breifly thought about fighting back. Spiderman would have thought fought back, but right now he wasn’t Spiderman. He was just Peter Parker and the gunman towering above him had one hell of a punch. The teen curled into fetal position, trying to protect himself. 

“Please leave him alone.” Nancy pleaded, mustering the courage to speak up. The second gunman brought his attention to the teen girl. Shooter Two roughly grabbed her, holding her tightly by her arm. “Let go of me!” She screamed and complained as he gripped her tightly. 

“Shut your damn mouth unless you want the same treatment.” Shooter Two said, before he turned to his colleague. “Let’s take them to the auditorium. They can join the others there.” 

“Can you believe it? This one claims to be an intern for Tony Stark.”

“Tony Stark ‘ey?”

“I swear, I swear…I’m telling you guys the truth.” Peter piped up, bruises already littering his face. 

“Not learnt your lesson yet boy?” The first gunman asked and laid another punch to the teen. 

“What if he is?” The second gunman asked.

“Nah, he’s just saying whatever he thinks will help his situation.” 

“But what if he really is?” 

Shooter One frowned, looking somewhat sceptical. “Doesn’t change anything.” 

The second gunman pulled Shooter One away so he could speak freely, away from the prying ears of the teens. The two gunmen were completely unaware that they were still well within hearing range of the enhanced teen. It would take more than turning their backs to keep Peter from eavesdropping. 

“Think about it. Maybe he’s the reason we’re at this school.” Shooter Two whispered in hush tones. “You have to admit attacking the school isn’t one of our usual gigs, but if the school has links to Stark, maybe it explains why we’re here.”

Shooter One hated to admit it, but he could see logic in the reasoning. It’s true this wasn’t a normal mission for his team. His team normally dealt with missions needing much more stealth with bigger stakes and targets. Still, the gunman prized himself on completing his missions perfectly. Nothing would tarnish his record, not even for Stark’s supposed kid. 

“It doesn’t change anything. We’ve got a job to do.”

“Tony Stark is a fucking billionaire. We don’t need the Commander or whole school. We could just take the kid and get four times the ransom for ourselves. We could retire and still be minted for life.”

“This is not the time to question orders. Take them and lock them in the front office for now. We still have a job here to do. Don’t get distracted and maybe I won’t report your wavering loyalties.” 

Shooter Two glared at his teammate, but quickly caved, realising he wasn’t going to persuade the other man anytime soon and not wanting to test out whether Shooter One would report him. 

“Fine.” 

The two gunmen turned their attention back to the three teens. Peter put on his best poker face, pretending he didn’t overhear their whispered conversation. Perhaps a side effect of the beating, but Peter didn’t fully comprehend what the two men were saying but none of it sounded good. Whose orders were they following? Who would order a shooting like this? Who were these men? 

“Time to move” Shooter Two grabbed Charlie and Nancy. He started marching them, or in Charlie’s case more dragging him, to the front school office. Shooter One gave a last kick to Peter before picking up the teen and manhandling him, dragging Peter away.


End file.
